Lou Modestino has been The Enterprise's Motorsports Writer for over four decades. Since then he has covered the Northeast and other events for Stock Car Magazine, Circle Track&Highway Magazine among others. Modestino also spent 22 years doing out-
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Lou Modestino has been The Enterprise's Motorsports Writer for over four decades. Since then he has covered the Northeast and other events for Stock Car Magazine, Circle Track&Highway Magazine among others. Modestino also spent 22 years doing out-of-state PR for the Oxford Plains Speedway(Maine) Opens

Seekonk Speedway is ready to kick off the 2013 season on Sunday, May 5, with a six division spectacular. Headlining the day will be the A.R.C. Pro Stocks in a 40 lap main event. The Pro Stocks have been headlining the action at Seekonk for over 30 years, and this season is shaping up to be another.

During the opening ceremonies, the first-ever inductees of the Seekonk Speedway/630 WPRO Wall of Fame will be announced. Almost 1,000 people voted, and this opportunity will honor those that have shaped the history and the future of the historic speedway.

Dave Darling (left) of Rehoboth is coming off his third championship in the Bristol Toyota Scion and is prepared to keep his Ron Pond-prepared Camry in the thick of the chase. 2013 saw Darling finish no worse than fifth all season long, and with no major changes to the car or the team, pushing Darling off the top of the standings will not be easy.

There are many challengers that will be up for the fight, and leading those will be 6-time Pro Stock Champion Fred Astle. Fred picked up 4 consecutive titles before falling out of the chase last year but has teamed up with Everett’s Auto Parts and is looking forward to being part of the action once again.

Ryan Vanasse is coming off a breakout season in the Pro Stocks where he picked up a couple of wins on his way to the second place in the championship. Could 2013 be the season that Ryan becomes the first driver to win the LM championship and the Pro Stock championship? Watch out for the Team V 11.

Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater returns behind the wheel of Len Ellis’ classic Pro Stock. The two-time champion was comfortable in the open practice session, and coming off a third place championship, his momentum just may carry him to the top of the standings.

There are others that will be ready for the challenge, including Tom Scully Jr and Sr, Mike Brightman, Kevin Casper, Ken Spencer, and others with 2013 shaping up as an exciting season.

Gerry DeGasparre picked up his sixth Late Model championship, but will once again have his hands full for number seven. Bobby Pelland III led the standings late in the season before falling from the top in the final laps, and believed he left something on the table. He is ready to fight to be the man at the top come September.

Jeramee Lillie, Bill Bernard, Dylan Estrella and Darryl Stampfl of Norwood are ready as well, putting more pressure on DeGasparre for the championship chase.

Paul Lallier will be up for the challenge of his first Street Stock title defense. Paul had three wins on the way to the championship. With three of his hardest challengers off the roster for the season, you would think that it might be a cake walk for the Attleboro native, but there are several who are ready to jump up for the challenge. Scott Bruneau will debut a new car early this season, and is ready to make that move to the top. Charles Beal picked up a win on his way to a top five finish, and is ready to show that he can be the guy to beat, Rey Lovelace, Bob Bettencourt, Craig Pianka, Chris DeMoura of Dighton and more will show why the Street Stocks continue to be one of the most exciting divisions.

The Sport Trucks will once again be a challenge to see if anyone can knock Mike Cavallaro off the top of the heap. Mike has picked up the title five times over the past eight years, and seems poised once again to continue that dominance. Just don’t tell Rick Martin. Rick has been Mike’s biggest nemesis over many of those chases, and has gone through his truck to make sure he doesn’t fall short again. Scott Dion of Taunton, John Paiva, Nick Uhrig, Lenny Guy, and a host of youngsters will make things more challenging for the truck championship.

Filling out the card for opening day will be the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends and the Pure Stocks, the lead divisions of the Fast Friday schedule. Shawn Buffington is coming off the 2012 title, and had already let his presence be felt in New England, picked up a win earlier this season with NELCAR. His teammate Tom Gray, along with Abington's Nick Lascoula will be pushing for the championship.

The 2012 Pure Stock Champion Jesse Melberg has his machine prepared and ready for the fight. His teammate Chris Lima will ride the momentum he picked up late last year to challenge. John Robidoux, Jamie Salley, Earl Curtin III, Ed Flanagan Jr, and many more will be pushing to unseat Melberg.